Your Head My Booty

Songs

Ever flipped through a premium movie channel late at night and caught one of those softcore sagas where women can’t seem to keep their clothes on and men don’t seem to mind? Neither have I—but if we ever do, there might be a scene in the third act when the conflict resolves, with two lovers (formerly jealous, after each of them banged other people) reuniting for some steady-rockin’ moments on a kitchen counter or maybe out by the pool. The soundtrack to that scene might be a less sophisticated, more boom-chucka-wow-wow version of “Your Head My Booty.”

What we have here is sex music, people. Even if the title didn’t suggest an interesting position or three, you couldn’t listen to this tune without your mind wandering into the boudoir. It’s a quickie (just over four minutes), but the song doesn’t really push to a climax, so it’s like a tantric short course. Call it 4-play. Put it on repeat. Oh, yeah.

The cascading guitar intro—actually a keyboard with the attack of a guitar pick—suggests a dress unzipping and falling to a woman’s feet, followed by undergarments. The melody doubles at the octave, Wes Montgomery-style, so apparently a man’s clothes are dropping, too. Some deft key-fingering follows and, after a breathtaking insertion of silence, a violin figure as sharp as a scratch of fingernails climbs on top as a rhythm track kicks in with playful, percussive slaps. A French-horny homage to Chick Corea on a synth pitch wheel offers a soaring moment of delight midway, and somewhere near the three-minute mark, the synth-violin comes back for an aggressive solo, reminding us that one of this artist’s favorite musicians is Jean-Luc Ponty—and that sometimes we like it rough. It’s a pure fusion moment, and for some, it might be too hot for the chill, boot-knocking groove. But fusion is union. Union is sex. Sex is good. So is this tune.

Ty says he hasn’t written soundtrack music, but his instincts and talent make him a natural for it. Aside from being a keyboard wizard in the Chick Corea tradition, he plays guitar and bass—and produces his own tracks. In interviews, he has credited Thievery Corporation’s Desmond Williams for technical influence in engineering and mixing.

“Your Head My Booty” isn’t ultimately a technician’s feat, though—it’s a story, or the last chapter of one. Small wonder it serves as the closer on Ty’s March 2013 release, Thunder Showers. The tune may not strive for a big finish, but it certainly gives album listeners a happy ending.